Swivel chair with lockable swiveling mechanism

ABSTRACT

A stool or chair is provided with a lockable swiveling mechanism. This lockable swiveling mechanism includes a post member being attached to a base and leg assembly, a socket member being swivelly mounted onto the post member, a seat-mounting bracket attached to the upper surface of the socket member, a locking pin extending radially through the socket member for engagement with the post member, a locking recess in the post member, and a latching mechanism for selectively maintaining the locking pin in a position wherein it is kept from engaging with the locking recess.

United States Patent 1191 Marsh [4 Oct. 7, 1975 1 SWIVEL CHAIR WITH LOCKABLE SWIVELING MECHANISM [75] Inventor: Douglas D. Marsh, Auburn, Ind.

[73] Assignee: Garrett Tubular Products, Inc.,

Garrett, 1nd. 1

[22] Filed: May 9, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 468,393

[52] U.S. Cl...., 297/349; 248/418 [51] Int. Cl. A47C 3/00 [58] Field of Search 297/349, 383; 248/418, 248/415, 425, 188.7,430; 108/142, 139; 403/104, 164

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,178 12/1920 Pipp 297/383 X 1,626,832 5/1927 l-luckel...... 248/418 1,629,939 5/l927 Turner 248/418 X 1,775,577 9/1930 Wilson 108/142 2,276,588 3/1942 Michelson 248/415 2,334,193 11/1943 l-ledeen et al 248/418 2,732,157 1/1956 113111111011 ..248/188.7 3,230,908 1/1966 Grant 108/142 3,285,555 11/1966 Bevington 248/l88;7

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 6,395 1908 United Kingdom 403/106 Primary Examiner.lames T. McCall [5 7] ABSTRACT A stool or chair is provided with a lockable swiveling mechanismaThis lockable swiveling mechanism includes a post member being attached to a base and leg assembly, a socket member being swivelly mounted onto the post member, a seat-mounting bracket attached to the upper surface of the socket member, a locking pin extending radially through the socket member for engagement with thepost member, a locking recess in the post member, and a latching mechanism for selectively maintaining the locking pin in a position wherein it is kept from engaging with the locking recess.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Sheet 1 of 2 U.S. Patent o t. 7,1975

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to chairs or stools which include a swiveling mechanism and more particularly to a selectively lockable swiveling mechanism for use with chairs or stools of this type.

2. Description of the Prior Art Chairs or stools with swiveling seats are commonly used in industry. It is common practice for the seat to be mounted to a vertically-disposed shaft or column which provides the swiveling action of the seat; and this column may be provided with a height-adjusting mechanism such as has been disclosed by Shearman, et al., in US. Pat. No. 2,872,223 and by Newlin, US. Pat. No. 2,961,260.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the broader aspects of this invention there is provided a stool or chair with a lockable seat-swiveling and seatmounting mechanism. This mechanism includes a vertically disposed post member, a vertically-disposed swiveling socket member being swivelly mounted on the post member, a seat-mounting bracket being attached to the upper surface of the socket member, a shoulder on the post member supporting the socket member, a retaining ring being mounted onto the swiveling post member and preventing removal of the socket member from the post member, a springloaded locking pin extending radially through the socket member for engagement with a locking recess in the post member, and a latch mechanism for selectively holding the locking pin distal from the locking recess.

It is an object of this invention to provide a selectively lockable swiveling mechanism for a stool or chair.

It is another object of this invention to provide a lockable seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism which includes a cylindrical locking pin for selective engagement with a locking recess in a swiveling post member, and a latch mechanism for selectively maintaining the locking pin in a position wherein engagement of the locking pin with the locking recess is precluded.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a lockable seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism which includes a locking pin which can be fabricated from a piece of bar stock by simple bending operation to provide both a locking pin portion and a handle portion, and a locking pin bracket which provides a notched latched surface which is selectively engageable with the handle portion and which is effective to maintain the locking pin portion in a position wherein engagement of the locking pin portion with a locking recess in a swiveling post member is precluded.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a stool or chair of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially along section line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the lockable seatswiveling and seat-mounting mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a view taken substantially as shown by view line 33 of FIG. 2, showing the latching mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken substantially along section line 44 of FIG. 1, showing the slide-mounting of the seat back support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, a stool or chair 10 includes a lockable seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12 which includes a cylindrically shaped post member 14, a base and leg assembly 16 which includes a tubular support column 18 which accepts and supports the post member 14, and which includes a plurality of tubular legs 20 which are welded to the support column 18 and which provide stable support of the post member 14 above a horizontal floor surface.

The stool or chair 10 also includes a seat back support 22 ofgenerally rectangular cross section. Seat back support22 includes a horizontal portion 24 which is received into a slide 26 of the seat-swiveling and seatmounting mechanism 12 and a substantially vertical portion 28 to which is attached a seat back 30. A seatadjusting screw 32 is provided for locking the seat back support 22 in the desired position. 7

Referring now primarily to FIG. 2, the seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12 includes a seatmounting bracket which comprises an inverted hatshaped channel structure 34 having a horizontally disposed and generally rectangularly shaped base plate 36, a pair of upstanding webs 38a and 38b, and a pair of outwardly extending flanges 40a and 40b which include seat-mounting surfaces 42a and 42b to which a seat 43 is secured, which is shown in F IG. 1.

The seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12 also includes a swiveling socket member or tubular bushing 44 which includes a cylindrical socket surface 46 therein. The tubular bushing 44 includes reduced diameter portions 480 and 48b being located on the upper and lower ends of socket member 44 respectively. The reduced diameter portion 48a is inserted into a bushing hole 50 in the base plate 36 and is formed over the top surface of the base plate 36 to securely fasten the tubular bushing 44 to the base plate 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a second inverted channel structure 52 includes a pair of outwardlyextending flanges 54a and 54b which are rigidly attached to the base plate 36. The structure 52 also includes a pair of downwardly extending webs 56a and 56b which interconnect the flanges 54a and 54b and a plate portion 58. The plate portion 58 includes a second bushing hole 60 which is in alignment with the first bushing hole 50. The reduced diameter portion 48a is inserted into the second bushing hole 60 and is formed around the bottom surface of the plate portion 58 to securely fasten the tubular bushing 44 to the plate portion 58.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the post member 14 includes a shoulder 62 which serves to support the tubular bushing 44 and a retaining ring groove 64 which is spaced above the shoulder 62 by a sufficient distance to allow the insertion of a retaining ring 66 above the tubular bushing 44.

The seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12 includes a locking pin hole 68 which is horizontally and radially located in the tubular bushing 44 intermediate the ends thereof, a rotatable locking pin 70 being formed of cylindrical bar stock and including a locking portion 72 and a handle portion 74 which is disposed at right angles to the locking portion 72, a locking pin bracket 76 having a base portion 78 which is attached to the flange 40b and an arm 80 which depends from the flange 40b in spaced parallel relationship to the tubular bushing 44. The locking pin bracket 76 includes a second locking pin hole 82 which is aligned with the locking pin hole 68 and which slidably receives the locking portion 72 of the locking pin 70. The locking pin bracket 76 also includes a notched flange 84 which includes a notch 86 which is more clearly seen in FIG. 3. The notch 86 cooperates with the handle portion 74 to provide a latching means for selectively holding an end 88 of the locking pin 70 from engagement with a locking recess 90 in the post member 14.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the locking portion 72 includes a cotter hole 92. A cotter pin 94 is inserted into the cotter hole 92. The cotter pin 94 and a helical-type compression spring 96 cooperate to resiliently retain the convex surface of the handle portion 74 in the notch 86 when the handle portion 74 is rotated thereto and placed therein. When the handle portion 74 is rotated to avoid contact of the handle portion 74 with either the notched flange 84 or with the notch 86 therein, the cotter pin 94 and the spring 96 cooperate to resiliently urge the locking portion 72 against the post member 14; and, when the swiveling socket member or tubular bushing 44 is rotated to the radial location wherein the locking pin 70 is aligned with the locking recess-90, the spring 96 moves the locking pin 70 into the locking recess 90 to prevent swiveling action between the post member 14 and the tubular bushing 44.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the slide 26 of the seatswiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12 includes a substantially horizontal and rectangular extension of the base plate 36, and a pair of upwardly and inwardly extending flanges 98a and 98b which slidably retain the horizontal portion 24 of the seat back support 22. The slide 26 also includes an internally threaded bushing 100. The seat-adjusting screw 32 threadably engages the threaded bushing 100, includes a knob 102 for tightening the screw 32, and is effective to clamp the horizontal portion 24 against the flanges 98a and 98b to rigidly attach the seat back support 22 to the seatswiveling and seat-mounting mechanism 12.

While there have been described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A stool with a lockable swiveling mechanism, which comprises:

a. a lockable seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism which includes a vertically disposed post member, a vertically disposed socket member swiv elly mounted onto said post member, a seatmounting bracket having a horizontal seatmounting surface and attached to one of said members with said mounting surface proximal to the upper end thereof, means for preventing longitudinal movement of said socket member in relation to said post member, and means for selectively locking said mechanism against rotational movement of said socket member with respect to said post member;

- b. a base and leg assembly connected to the other of said members, including a base and a plurality of legs connected thereto and extending both downwardly and outwardly from said other member, thereby providing a stable support against rotational movement of said other member relative a horizontal floor;

c. a seat being attached to said horizontal seatmounting surface;

(:1. said one member comprises said socket member,

and said socket member includes a vertically disposed cylindrical socket surface therein;

e. said other member comprises said post member;

f. said selective locking mechanism comprising a horizontally oriented locking pin hole extending through said socket member intermediate the top and bottom surfaces thereof and extending into said cylindrical surface, a cylindrically shaped locking pin being slidably inserted into said locking pin hole and including a handle portion thereof which includes a convex latching surface transverse to the axis of said pin and radially spaced therefrom, a locking pin bracket secured to said seat-mounting bracket and being attached to said socket member in spaced relationship thereto and including both a second locking pin hole in alignment with first said locking pin hole and a notched latching flange with the notch thereof distal from said socket member and radially displaced from said locking pin holes, and a spring resiliently urging said locking pin toward said post member, and a locking recess in said post member being shaped and vertically positioned to accept said locking pin; and

g. said spring resiliently maintaining said convex latching surface in engagement with said notch when said convex latching surface is selectively placed therein to prevent engagement between said locking pin and said locking recess, and said spring resiliently urging said locking pin into said locking recess when said convex latching surface is selectively rotated to avoid contact with said notch and said seat is rotated to align said locking recess with said locking pin.

2. The stool of claim 1 in which:

a. said socket member comprises a tubular bushing having reduced diameter portions on both ends thereof and having a cylindrical socket surface therein;

b. said seat-mounting bracket comprises an inverted channel structure having a horizontally disposed base plate and a pair of horizontally disposed flanges and being supported above said base plate by a pair of upstanding webs and extending outwardly from said plate and said webs;

c. said selective locking mechanism further comprises a locking pin bracket having a downwardly depending arm of rectangular cross section with the wider surfaces thereof parallel to the centerline of said socket surface and having a notched flange extending outwardly from said socket member with the notch thereof distal of said arm and said socket, said first locking pin hole in said socket member oriented radially through one side of said socket and normal to said wider surfaces, said locking recess in said post member being vertically disposed to align with said pin holes, said cylindrical locking pin having a locking portion extending through said pin holes and atransversely-oriented cotter hole therethrough intermediate of said pin holes, said handle portion being formed at right angles to said locking portion at a location wherein the length of said locking portion is such that the end thereof is disengaged with said notch when said handle portion is in said notch, a cotter pin being in said cotter hole, said spring being a helical-type compression spring being assembled over said locking portion and being compressed between said arm and said cotter pin, whereby said locking portion is withheld from engagement with said recess and said spring resiliently retains said handle portion against said notch when said handle portion is moved into engagement therewith.

3. The stool of claim 1 in which: a. said base and leg assembly comprises a vertically disposed tubular support column and four tubular legs welded proximal to the lower end of said support column; and 1 b. said post member comprises a cylindrical rod, and

said attachment of said post member to said base and leg assembly comprises the insertion of said rod into said support column. 

1. A stool with a lockable swiveling mechanism, which comprises: a. a lockable seat-swiveling and seat-mounting mechanism which includes a vertically disposed post member, a vertically disposed socket member swivelly mounted onto said post member, a seatmounting bracket having a horizontal seat-mounting surface and attached to one of said members with said mounting surface proximal to the upper end thereof, means for preventing longitudinal movement of said socket member in relation to said post member, and means for selectively locking said mechanism against rotational movement of said socket member with respect to said post member; b. a base and leg assembly connected to the other of said members, including a base and a plurality of legs connected thereto and extending both downwardly and outwardly from said other member, thereby providing a stable support against rotational movement of said other member relative a horizontal floor; c. a seat being attached to said horizontal seat-mounting surface; d. said one member comprises said socket member, and said socket member includes a vertically disposed cylindrical socket surface therein; e. said other member comprises said post member; f. said selective locking mechanism comprising a horizontAlly oriented locking pin hole extending through said socket member intermediate the top and bottom surfaces thereof and extending into said cylindrical surface, a cylindrically shaped locking pin being slidably inserted into said locking pin hole and including a handle portion thereof which includes a convex latching surface transverse to the axis of said pin and radially spaced therefrom, a locking pin bracket secured to said seat-mounting bracket and being attached to said socket member in spaced relationship thereto and including both a second locking pin hole in alignment with first said locking pin hole and a notched latching flange with the notch thereof distal from said socket member and radially displaced from said locking pin holes, and a spring resiliently urging said locking pin toward said post member, and a locking recess in said post member being shaped and vertically positioned to accept said locking pin; and g. said spring resiliently maintaining said convex latching surface in engagement with said notch when said convex latching surface is selectively placed therein to prevent engagement between said locking pin and said locking recess, and said spring resiliently urging said locking pin into said locking recess when said convex latching surface is selectively rotated to avoid contact with said notch and said seat is rotated to align said locking recess with said locking pin.
 2. The stool of claim 1 in which: a. said socket member comprises a tubular bushing having reduced diameter portions on both ends thereof and having a cylindrical socket surface therein; b. said seat-mounting bracket comprises an inverted channel structure having a horizontally disposed base plate and a pair of horizontally disposed flanges and being supported above said base plate by a pair of upstanding webs and extending outwardly from said plate and said webs; c. said selective locking mechanism further comprises a locking pin bracket having a downwardly depending arm of rectangular cross section with the wider surfaces thereof parallel to the centerline of said socket surface and having a notched flange extending outwardly from said socket member with the notch thereof distal of said arm and said socket, said first locking pin hole in said socket member oriented radially through one side of said socket and normal to said wider surfaces, said locking recess in said post member being vertically disposed to align with said pin holes, said cylindrical locking pin having a locking portion extending through said pin holes and a transversely-oriented cotter hole therethrough intermediate of said pin holes, said handle portion being formed at right angles to said locking portion at a location wherein the length of said locking portion is such that the end thereof is disengaged with said notch when said handle portion is in said notch, a cotter pin being in said cotter hole, said spring being a helical-type compression spring being assembled over said locking portion and being compressed between said arm and said cotter pin, whereby said locking portion is withheld from engagement with said recess and said spring resiliently retains said handle portion against said notch when said handle portion is moved into engagement therewith.
 3. The stool of claim 1 in which: a. said base and leg assembly comprises a vertically disposed tubular support column and four tubular legs welded proximal to the lower end of said support column; and b. said post member comprises a cylindrical rod, and said attachment of said post member to said base and leg assembly comprises the insertion of said rod into said support column. 